Fluency Devices
Sheikh Muhammad Mughees (PhD Scholar in Linguistics)
Lecturer, Department of English
NUML, Islamabad
Fluency Devices
• Fluency devices are different techniques which are used mainly by
the native speakers of a language.
• The main purpose behind the use of such devices is to make the
speech faster and easy to produce.
• These techniques may include dropping a sound, adding a sound,
or changing a sound.
Linking /r/
• /r/ is always dropped in the variety of English called RP or BBC
English, whenever it occurs at the end of the word.
• However, it is pronounced when the next word begins with a
vowel sound. Such a /r/ is called ‘Linking /r/’, as it links one
word with the other.
• For example, //ðə kʌlər ɪz blæk// but //ðə kʌlə wəz blæk//
Intrusive /r/
• It is a variety of /r/ that is used when the first word ends with a vowel
sound and the very next words also begins with a vowel sound.
Examples
• Lara is a good batsman. //lɑ:rər ɪz ə gʊd bætsmən//
• The sofa is blue. //ðə səʊfər ɪz blu://
• One major difference between linking /r/ and intrusive /r/ is that the
former is the part of spellings where the latter is not.
Assimilation
• Assimilation is a process in which a sound is changed or modified
by its neighbouring sounds.
• Sometimes, two sounds affect each other, and as a result, produce
a new sound.
• The chief reason behind the use of assimilation is the factor called
‘economy of effort’.
Cont…
Examples
• /red kɑ:pɪt/ to /reg kɑ:pɪt/
• /waɪt paʊdə/ to /waɪp paʊdə/
• /kɑ:nt ju/ to /kɑ:ntʃu/
Rules
• /t / becomes /p/ before bilabials
E.g. that person /ðæp pɜːsn̩/
• /d/ becomes /b/ before bilabials
E.g. good boy /gʊb bɔɪ/
• /n/ becomes /m/ before bilabials
E.g. ten minutes /tem mɪnɪts/
• /t/ becomes /k/ before /k/ and /g/
E.g. bright colour /braɪk kʌlə/ quite good /kwaɪk ɡʊd/
• /d/ becomes /g/ before /k/ and /g/
E.g. bad cold /bæg kəʊld/ mad girl /mæg ɡɜːl/
• / n/ becomes /ŋ/ before /k/ and /g/
E.g. one cup /wʌŋ kʌp/ main gate /meɪŋ ɡeɪt/
• /s/ becomes /ʃ / before /ʃ/ or /j/
E.g. this shoe / ðɪʃ ʃuː/
• /z/ becomes /ʒ / before /ʃ/ or /j/
E.g. those years /ðəʊʒ jɪəz/
Elision
• Elision is a linguistic process in which a sound is dropped.
• In other words, it loses its phonological identity.
• The sound that is dropped can be a consonant as well as a vowel.
In some cases, even the whole syllable gets dropped.
Cont…
Examples
• /kæmərə/ to /kæmrə/
• /frendz/ to /frenz/
• /wɪndmɪl/ to /wɪnmɪl/
• /febrʊəri/ to /febri/
Weak Forms
• Content words show the main bulk of meaning. They are also
called picture words. E.g., nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs.
• They are very big in number in any language.
• They don’t join sentences.
• They usually have no weak forms.
Weak Forms
• Structure words do not carry the main bulk of meaning; they are
empty and have no meaning like content words.
• They are also called grammar words. E.g., articles, prepositions,
pronouns, conjunctions, interjections, helping verbs.
• They are limited in number and join sentences.
• They usually have at least one weak form.
Weak Forms
• Whenever a strong form is changed into weak form, Schwa
replaces that form. These are called weak forms because Schwa is
a weak vowel.
• There are some structure words which do not have any weak
form. So, they are always used in their strong forms.
• Most of the weak forms change into the strong forms when used
at the end of the sentence or used with stress by the speaker.
